Yes, yes, exactly. The recent talk over sex selective abortion will hopefully force more people to think through the logic of their moral commitments and bring a few more pro-choicers over to our side. Although the fact that there is a gut reaction against aborting a fetus for being female that people don’t have about doing the same to one with down syndrome suggests the following unspoken belief: that there are certain groups for whom it is acceptable to apply a utilitarian calculus to and others where it’s not okay. For example, while a lot of people would say that kids with down syndrome could be aborted on the rationale that it was minimizing suffering, would they be willing to stomach the same line of thought for someone who was gay, or intersexed?

More apologies. Again, I’ve been terrible about keeping this blog updated. But I have excuses! Classes have started up again, and I’m back to my usual time-wasting anxieties, and I’m lazy. Anyway: classes are good, if intimidating. I threatened my readers (all two or three of you – you know who you are) with logical symbolism earlier, and I might have to make good on that as an aid to navigating the thicket of Godel’s theorems.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Want a temporary holiday from partisan politics? Try to pass an incredibly stupid bill (or maybe not: it will probably be difficult to recapture the magic). (via Poncer)